"Nobody should count on a draw. We'll come out to win"

The question almost causes offence. When they were explained that a 2-2 draw with Croatia would see them finish first and would knock Italy out, the face of the Spanish players said it all. Spain’s international footballers want to wear their shirt with pride, their shirt with a star, representing the world cup victory, sitting above the national crest and the European championship sign on the sleeve.

When those who played at the World Cup are asked if the last half an hour in the match against Chile was a ‘peace treaty’, they answer that it was the Chileans that stopped trying and were happy to play out a draw.

In the Spanish dressing room the only thing they have on their minds is beating Croatia, and, in fact, to try their hardest to kill the game off as early as possible. When asked if he has more friends in Croatia or Italy, Barcelona’s Andrés Iniesta answered: “my friends are in Albacete”. This is the very embodiment of the Spanish players’ attitude.

This topic sprang up everywhere yesterday, with even the players’ families pitching in. The message that everyone got was the same: “Nobody should count on a draw. We’ll come out to win”.